In this photo provided by National Park Service, bats exit the natural cave entrance in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. (Courtesy Photo/Peter Jones)

Emily Russo Miller Record Staff Writer

Usually some 400,000 bats reside in Carlsbad Caverns National Park each summer, but those numbers have dwindled this year because of the drought, experts say.

Only a “couple thousand bats” were counted in the caves this summer, which is when bat numbers peak since the pups are born in June, Division Chief of Interpretation and Education Marie Marek said in an interview Friday.